Is shadowing experience necessary for applying to medical school? How many shadowing hours for medical school are required, and what do admissions committees expect when evaluating applicants?
Shadowing a doctor in a real clinical setting is an opportunity for premeds to see firsthand what their future could look like. Shadowing also provides invaluable experience and is an opportunity for premeds to develop relationships with doctors—doctors who may be able to write them letters of recommendation.
Admissions committees want to know you are serious about becoming a doctor and that you’ve taken the time to determine whether or not the career path is a good fit for you. A combination of shadowing and other clinical hours proves to medical schools you’re not simply applying on a whim—you’re passionate about medicine, and you understand the highs and lows because you’ve already immersed yourself in the field.
So, how many shadowing hours are enough, and how do you make the most of these hours to impress medical school programs?
How Many Shadowing Hours for Medical School Are Required?
Admissions committees expect to see some shadowing hours detailed in the Work and Activities section of your application, but there is no set number required.
The number of shadowing hours you pursue is contingent on a number of factors, including whether or not you are entering medical school directly from college, how much clinical experience you have, and whether or not you are depending on your shadow experience for a letter of recommendation.
For the purposes of this article, we are focusing on shadowing experience specifically. Other forms of clinical experience, such as working as a nursing assistant, volunteering at a hospice, or becoming a medical scribe, are also expected, but these experiences are separate from shadowing.
For shadowing experience alone, aim to have at least 100 or more hours. 100 to 200 hours will show you’ve taken the time to learn in a medical setting, especially if you also have a variety of other clinical experiences to discuss in the activities section of your application.
This number is not set in stone but merely a guideline. If you are aiming to gain a strong letter of recommendation, you may need to dedicate more time to building clinical relationships.
It’s not about the exact number of shadowing hours; it’s about what you get out of those hours.
Do not approach shadowing as one more box to check off. It’s an opportunity to learn what being a doctor is really like, build relationships, and gain guidance on the medical field and application process. You get out of it what you put into it.
Can You Have Too Many Hours?
At a certain point, more hours aren’t necessarily better. Piecing together a medical school application while maintaining your grades and other commitments is a balancing act. If you’re hitting upwards of 500 shadowing hours, there’s a good chance you’re neglecting another critical aspect of your application or life in general, such as research, volunteering, leadership work, your studies, or your own personal wellness.
Once you’ve gained adequate experience shadowing doctors, turn your attention to other aspects of your application. Ultimately, this will have a greater impact than racking up as many shadowing hours as possible.
Remember that your shadowing hours will likely be grouped into a single activity on your application since they will be very similar experiences. Admissions committees don’t need you to explain what shadowing is over and over again. They are familiar with it and want to know what you got out of these experiences as a whole. Making each shadowing experience its own activity suggests you’re trying to spread them out due to lack of other notable experiences and achievements.
Shadowing is an important piece of your Work and Activities section, but it is only one of the experiences admissions committees expect from applicants.
No matter your personal goals when it comes to shadowing, the following tips will help you get the most out of the experience.
How to Make Your Shadowing Hours Count
1 | Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
When determining the ideal number of shadowing hours for you, ensure you’re not spreading yourself too thin. You don’t want to overcommit and underperform.
Flaking out on your shadowing commitments or going into them halfheartedly is not a good look. Remember, these connections may be where your letters of recommendation come from, and even if you find those letters elsewhere, medicine is a tight knit community. You don’t want to get a bad reputation before your career has even begun.
Balance is paramount during your college years leading up to applying to medical school. You must ensure you leave yourself time for other activities beyond shadowing while maintaining your grades, succeeding on the MCAT, and crafting a quality application.
2 | Illustrate Commitment
The number of hours you gain isn’t the only thing admissions committees are paying attention to. They want to see longitudinal commitment.
It’s okay to test out different extracurricular experiences early on, but at some point, you should commit to a few to illustrate length of commitment. This strategy applies to all of your extracurricular activities. Since you only have so much time available outside of school, narrow down which activities you are most passionate about or believe will have the greatest impact on your application and dedicate yourself to those activities.
Committing to a handful of activities over multiple years looks better than several short-lived experiences scattered throughout your college career.
3 | Seek Out Specialties You’re Interested In
Look for shadowing experiences with doctors working in medical specialties you’re interested in pursuing. This may not be possible for all premeds, but it’s worth prioritizing shadowing opportunities in the fields you are interested in to help you get a clearer sense of what you have in store.
The sooner you can narrow down what you like and dislike about certain specialties, the better. You’ll be able to tailor your medical school journey to your preferred specialty.
Check out our guide: How to Choose a Medical Specialty in 6 Steps.
The perception you have of a specialty may be completely different from the reality of actually practicing it, and you won’t know until you experience it firsthand.
If possible, pursue shadowing experiences across more than one type of specialty so that you’re able to compare and contrast what they’re really like while still showing admissions committees that you’ve dug into a broad spectrum of clinical experience.
4 | Be Proactive and Maintain Enthusiasm
Be proactive in communicating before, during, and after your shadowing experience. How you conduct yourself leading up to medical school is a good indicator of how you will conduct yourself in medical school.
Strike a balance between maintaining communication with the doctor you are shadowing while not being overbearing or intrusive. Be mindful of holidays, the doctor’s vacation time, and their general availability. They are helping you out of the kindness of their heart, so show your appreciation by giving the experience your all.
To succeed in your shadowing experience, you must show genuine enthusiasm at all times. Even if you’re shadowing in a medical field you’re less interested in, take every opportunity to learn as much as possible in a clinical setting. Shadowing is not a box to check off, but rather an incredible opportunity for you to get up close and personal with doctors and patients before you begin your medical education.
Do all that you can to make the most of every single one of your shadowing hours.
Medical School Application Success
If you enjoyed this post, check out our guide to choosing medical school extracurriculars. It covers eight factors to consider when narrowing down extracurricular activities, as well as the types of activities admissions committees look for when evaluating candidates.
If you’re struggling with an aspect of your application, want to gain a competitive edge, or simply want peace of mind that you’re on the right track, Med School Insiders offers one-on-one student advising. We pair you with a physician advisor who can answer your questions about the entire medical school application process, including what to do with the time between your studies, how to optimize your extracurriculars, and how to transition into medical school.
It’s our goal to help you create a future that aligns with your vision, which includes your hobbies, studies, career goals, lifestyle, and habits.
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